Forever, For Always
by hopefuldreamer007
Summary: A tragedy occurs...


Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.

Blood.

There was blood.

Sasha wasn't entirely sure what was going on, or what had just happened. One moment Bayley had gone for the baseball slide and succeeded, hitting her opponent, landing in the spot she was supposed to land in, and the next there was a flash of something and Bayley screamed and then chaos just seemed to erupt out of nowhere.

And now there was blood.

Lots and lots of blood.

Sasha crawled from the ring apron where she'd been standing, the Riott Squad slowly making their way over as well. Sasha felt her heart nearly stop as she saw just how much blood there was.

"Oh, my god," she breathed, kneeling down on the ground, reaching out to take her friend's now limp hand in her own, noting that her eyes were still open, _barely._

"Wh….what….what happened?" asked Sasha, completely oblivious to what was going on just over the barricade. Liv and Sarah were standing a good distance away, not wanting to add more people to the already chaotic scene.

"Someone jumped the barricade with a knife," muttered Charlotte, and Sasha hadn't even realized she was out there until she heard her voice, felt her arm on her shoulder. Sasha glanced back, confused.

"I couldn't stay away when I saw it. I came running."

Sasha just nodded, the medics loading a semi conscious Bayley onto the stretcher. There was still so much blood.

"Sasha?"

Bayley's voice was weak, barely above a whisper, and it wasn't until then that Sasha realized she still had Bayley's hand in her own. She scooted closer to her best friend, her tag team partner, brushing a strand of hair out of her friend's face.

"I'm right here, baby. I'm here, baby," she whispered, feeling Bayley's fingers try to squeeze her own with what little strength she still had.

Bayley moaned, closing her eyes briefly as the medical team began walking towards the curtain, Bayley still holding onto Sasha's hand, so she followed, keeping her friend's gaze.

"Shh, don't go to sleep, okay? Don't sleep. I'm here. You're gonna be okay, darling. You're gonna be just fine," whispered Sasha, wanting to believe what she was saying to Bayley.

The truth was her face was far too pale, and there was still so much blood. From what Sasha could tell, the knife had gone into her side somewhere. Her friend was fighting to stay awake, Sasha could tell, but it was a fight she was beginning to lose.

"We're gonna get her into the ambulance now, okay? You can meet her at the hospital."

Sasha hadn't even realized that they were already at the ambulance. She nodded, leaning down to place a kiss to Bayley's forehead, stroking her cheek as her eyes began to close once more.

"Stay awake, okay? I'll be right there, sweet girl, okay? Just stay awake for me, please?" whispered Sasha, Bayley blinking her eyes, taking a shallow breath.

"I'll...try," she muttered, her words punctuated by even more shallow breathing. Sasha closed her eyes as she gently pulled her hand away from Bayley's, waiting until the doors of the ambulance closed before she broke down completely, falling to her knees. She could hear her sobs take over; loud, sorrowful, cries as her mind tried to piece together the puzzle of what had just happened, but couldn't.

It wasn't until she felt a crowd of people swarm around her that Sasha realized she wasn't alone, and that the people had been there the entire time.

"Come on Sash...come on, baby. I'm right here. We'll go see here, honey. I promise."

Sasha choked on her sobs as she heard Charlotte's voice once more, her arms wrapping around her her shoulders. Sasha shook her head, burying her face into her knees. She didn't even know what happened. Who had attacked Bayley? Why? How?

"Ash, honey, she's gonna be okay. She's strong. She's gonna fight. She's gonna fight."

Sasha cried as she heard Stephanie's voice join the conversation, the COO kneeling in front of Sasha as she tried to comfort her. Sasha choked on a sob, feeling like she was going to be sick.

"Come on Sasha, come on, let's get you cleaned up so we can go to the hospital, okay?" whispered Charlotte, Stephanie helping the taller blonde get a still sobbing Sasha to her feet, Sasha instantly collapsing into Charlotte's arms while she continued to sob.

"I'm gonna go see what's going on with her attacker. I know security got him out of the arena and to the police car. I wanna go follow up with them," said Hunter, Stephanie nodding, her eyes focused on Sasha, who Charlotte was currently comforting.

"Come on Sash, let's get you to the hospital, sweet pea, okay?" whispered Charlotte, rubbing a hand down Sasha's back. The purple haired woman had tried so hard to be so strong for Bayley ever since she saw her, but all of those emotions were surfacing _right _now. "Come on, Sash, let's get you out of the hallway. Becca's gonna meet us at the hospital, alright?" whispered Charlotte, shifting her arms so she was more or less holding Sasha up.

Sasha nodded, allowing Charlotte to guide her down the hall and towards the locker room to grab their stuff. Sasha stayed quiet, allowing Charlotte to help her gather her bags before continuing towards the parking garage, keeping her head down.

"My car's over here," whispered Charlotte, continuing to guide Sasha. Sasha nodded, mindlessly tossing her bags into the back before getting into the passenger's side. She felt like she was on autopilot, like her entire body was moving and functioning but her brain had no idea where she was or what was going on.

All she could think about was Bayley and all of the blood.

* * *

She felt cold.

Sasha shivered slightly as she sat in the hospital waiting room, unconsciously wrapping her arms around her waist. She hadn't wanted to change. All she had wanted to do was get to the hospital. Charlotte had grabbed a sweater and a pair of sweats from her bag before they arrived at the hospital, Sasha only putting them on because she was still wearing only her ring gear.

But she still felt cold.

Charlotte sat next to Sasha, several others of their coworkers joining them as well. Liv, Sarah, and Ruby were there, as was Stephanie. Becky had already been at the hospital when they arrived. Natalya and Carmella as well.

There hadn't been any word on Bayley since they arrived; the girl working the front desk simply telling Charlotte that a doctor would update them as soon as they could.

And that had been nearly two hours ago.

"Sash?"

Charlotte wrapped her arms around her friend's shoulder, placing a kiss to her hair. She had hardly looked up since sitting down, and Charlotte wasn't even sure she was aware of the other people in the room.

"She's strong, baby. She's gonna fight," whispered Charlotte, not sure what Sasha was in need of hearing right now, or if she was even hearing her at all.

Charlotte couldn't even imagine.

She could. She was. They were all sitting there. She was worried to death as well. She loved Bayley. She was sweet and loving and passionate. She was Charlotte's first match on TV. She was the first person to greet Charlotte with a smile when she'd arrived in Florida at what was then FCW. She hadn't cared about who her father was like all of the other girls.

God, why did this have to happen to Bayley? Freaking Bayley, of all people in the world. What kind of psycho would do this to her? And for what?

"Hey love, I grabbed some coffees."

Charlotte looked up at Becky, offering her a small smile as she accepted the warm beverage. "Thanks."

"How is she?" asked Becky, nodding towards Sasha. Charlotte just shrugged. "She hasn't even looked up since we sat down."

"Need a break, love?" asked Becky, Charlotte shaking her head, running her hand through her long blonde hair. "No. I need to know how Bayley is."

Becky nodded, licking her dry lips as she knelt down in front of Sasha, reaching out to touch thigh. Sasha and Bayley were….

Well, their relationship was the kind of relationship everybody envied. They were always together, always in on inside jokes that only they understood, always laughing and having fun.

They were inseparable most days. Even when they weren't traveling, they were still texting and Facetiming. Becky couldn't even fathom being out there when it happened. But Sasha had been.

"Sash, you want some coffee, love?" whispered Becky, Sasha shaking her head, wrapping her arms tighter around her waist.

Becky leaned in, offering her a kiss to her forehead. "Come here, love. Why don't you let me hold you for a minute?" whispered Becky, Sasha again refusing her friends' help.

"No. I just want Bayley. I just want to see her," whispered Sasha, her voice beginning to crack as she started to cry again.

Charlotte gently rubbed her heartbroken friend's back, sharing a glance with Becky. She leaned back against the hard hospital room chair, glancing up at the news that was currently playing, frowning when a picture of the arena they had been performing at tonight flashed on the screen.

"Earlier tonight during a televised WWE event, a fan sitting in the front row jumped over a barricade and managed to stab a female WWE talent during her match. Security managed to tackle the suspect, but not before wounding the performer."

Charlotte's eyes stayed glued to the TV as the reported spoke, not sure why she was watching. She knew what happened. She had fucking saw what happened. The entire fucking event was captured on live television for the whole damn world to see what happened.

And now she was sitting in a hospital waiting room while Bayley….while Bayley….

She couldn't think about it. She didn't want to think about it.

She just needed someone to come and freaking update them. What the hell was going on? Why was it taking so long?!

"We should ask them to change the channel."

Charlotte looked up at the sound of Liv Morgan's voice, shrugging. She noticed Liv's bloodshot eyes and remembered that she had been out there too. She had been more than out there, actually. She was the closest to Bayley when the attack had happened. She had been just inches away from her, even.

"Hey Liv, how you holding up, honey?" asked Charlotte, wiping away her own tears. She was the mother of her group with Sasha, Bayley, and Becky. She prided herself on playing that role not only with her friends but in the locker room as well.

Liv shrugged, glancing around at the others who were also waiting for news, most of them crying or had been crying at some point during the night.

"I just wish I could have done something...to help her," whispered Liv, and Charlotte shook her head, reaching out, not wanting to leave Sasha's side, but wanting to offer Liv some comfort. The younger pink haired superstar accepted Charlotte's hug. "There was nothing you could do, Liv. Nobody saw this coming, honey," whispered Charlotte, Liv taking a shaky breath, thanking Charlotte before she headed back over to Ruby and Sarah.

This fucking sucked. Where the hell was this doctor?!

Charlotte looked over as Becky sat down on the other side of Sasha, reaching out to take her friend's hand. None of them saying anything. None of them knowing what else there was left to say.

More seconds and moments passed. The clock kept ticking away. It was almost 3 in the morning now. Bayley had been admitted around midnight.

And then the doors to the other side of the hospital opened, an older gentleman in scrubs walking towards Sasha and Charlotte.

"Ms. Flair? Ms. Banks?"

Sasha's eyes shot up at the sound of the doctor, instantly standing as the doctor began to speak.

"My name is Dr. Williams. I'm just here to give you an update on your friend, Bayley?"

Charlotte nodded, clutching at Sasha's hand as he spoke.

"Yes. How is she? Is she okay? What's going on?"

Charlotte couldn't contain the questions any longer.

The doctor cleared his throat. "I can't tell you much right now. Your friend is still in surgery. The knife wound was very deep," he began, Charlotte closing her eyes, trying to hold down the wave of panic racing through her.

"Is she going to be okay?"

Sasha spoke for the first time in hours, her eyes glistening with tears as she glanced up at the doctor, who simply sighed, running his hands through his dark brown hair.

"I don't know. I wish I had more to tell you. The knife entered in just above her hip. We are looking at a great deal of internal damage and a great amount of blood loss. All I can tell you right now is that we are doing everything we can to help your friend."

The doctor said a few more things before walking away, but neither Sasha nor Charlotte caught any of what he said after saying that they were doing everything they could.

_Everything they could. _The three dreaded words. The words that doctors said when the possibility of….of...not making it, was a strong possibility.

A lot of internal damage. Possible damage to her organs. Blood loss. Everything the doctor had said was sinking in as he went back through those double doors, Charlotte feeling like she had just been run over by a semi. Twice.

She looked over at Sasha, sighing when her friend fell in a heap on the floor, loud, painful sobs racking through her tiny body. Charlotte could feel the tears pouring down her own face. _She had to be strong. She had to take care of Sasha. It's what Bayley would want her to do. Bayley would want someone taking care of Sasha if she couldn't be there to do it herself. _

Becky apparently thought the same thing, because she was on the other side of Sasha already, kneeling down next to her.

"Come on, love. Shh, shh, shh. Bayley is strong. She's a fighter, Sash. You know that. She's gonna be okay. She's gonna be by your side laughing at all your silly little inside jokes and beating your butt at video games in no time," whispered Becky, wrapping her arms around Sasha's shaking form.

"Becca…"

Charlotte sighed as she listened to Becky speak, wishing she would just stop. They didn't know that. They didn't know if Bayley would be okay. They could hope and they could pray but telling Sasha lies wasn't going to help her at all.

"What?"

"Just don't...don't tell her something we don't know is true," whispered Charlotte, placing a kiss to Sasha's forehead.

Becky sighed. Neither woman really knew _what_ to tell Sasha right now. The only thing she wanted to here couldn't come from them, and from what the doctor had said, this surgery could last hours before they knew anything else on Bayley's condition.

And so the three of them settled in, sticking close to Sasha as they did the only thing they really could do.

Wait.

**Chapter Two:**

_Six Hours Later:_

Charlotte rubbed wearily at her eyes, glancing over at Sasha, who at some point during their time waiting had crawled into Charlotte's lap, muttering something about mom mode, which had made Charlotte smile a little bit.

Mom mode was something she could do. Hell, it was one of the only things she felt like she _could _do while they waited.

So she held Sasha in her arms, rocking her back and forth, running her hand through her hair, offering her what little comfort she could.

Most everybody who had come the night before had left by now, and both Charlotte and Becky had sworn up and down to Stephanie that they would text or call she and Hunter as soon as they had anymore news.

"And if you guys need a break, or someone to take care of Sasha if you guys need a moment, you call me, okay?" said Stephanie, Charlotte nodding, though she had no plans of needing someone else to take care of Sasha.

She hadn't fucking been there to take care of Bayley when she needed it. Taking care of Sasha was the least she could do. It was practically the only thing keeping her from losing her mind completely at the moment.

"Hey, I grabbed some coffee and some yogurts from the cafeteria. We should probably eat something," said Becky, settling back down on the floor of the waiting room. For some reason the floor felt more comfortable than those ridiculously hard chairs.

"Thanks," said Charlotte, grabbing one of the coffee's for herself and a yogurt for Sasha, Becky raising her eyebrows. "You really think she's gonna eat right now?" asked Becky, Charlotte shrugging.

"She will if I have anything to say about it," muttered Charlotte, placing another kiss to Sasha's hair, gently rubbing her back.

"She's gonna be okay, right Char? She's gotta be okay," whispered Becky, Charlotte swallowing the lump in her throat.

"I have no idea. But she's been in surgery now for nine freaking hours and we haven't heard anything yet...good or bad. I don't know how to take that. I don't know what hours mean in terms of good or bad. I wish I did right now though."

Becky sighed, taking a sip of her coffee, watching as Charlotte turned her attention back to Sasha, gently rubbing her back.

"Come on Sash, I want you to eat something," whispered Charlotte, keeping her voice close to her friend's ear.

Sasha whimpered, shaking her head against Charlotte's chest.

"No. Not until I know more about Bayley," whispered Sasha, Charlotte tightening her grip just slightly, placing another kiss to her friend's hair.

"That's not gonna do either of you any good, Sash. You know that. Just take a few bites of yogurt, hmm?" whispered Charlotte opening the lid of the container, offering the spoon to Sasha.

Sasha groaned, turning her head away. "Don't wanna. I can't eat right now," she muttered, and Becky shook her head. She knew how this girl got when she was tired. She could only imagine tired, hungry, and devastated Sasha wasn't going to be much fun.

"Come on Char, just leave it. She's fine," said Becky, not wanting to upset Sasha any more than she had to be. Charlotte sighed, closing her eyes as she leaned against the chair.

"I just need an update. It should be illegal for them to be able to go so long without a single word," muttered Charlotte, giving up on the yogurt as she placed it down on the ground beside them.

Another hour passed by. All three girls were struggling to keep their eyes open at this point. Stephanie had been texting nonstop for the last two hours looking for an update, wanting to know if the girls needed anything.

Nothing she could give. Just knowing if Bayley was okay.

Again the doors opened, the same doctor exited, finding the trio of girls with ease.

"Please tell me you have good news," whispered Charlotte, glancing down at Sasha who was zoned out at the moment.

The doctor sighed, chewing on his bottom lip. "There were some complications," he stated, running his hand through his hair. "It's why it's taking so long. There is a lot of damage that we're trying to repair without causing further damage," said the doctor, Charlotte running her hand through her hair.

"What does that mean? Is….is…..is she going to die?"

As soon as the words escaped her lips, the floodgates opened, tears beginning to pour down Charlotte's face. Becky tried to hold back her own emotions, wanting more from the doctor.

"We don't know. Your friend is strong. She's fighting. But we don't know. Right now with what we're looking and some of the complications we've run into….it's just hard to say," said the doctor, Becky shaking her head.

"Isn't it your job to know?!" she cried, the exhaustion and fear starting to get to her as well. "Just give us _something_! _Anything!_ It's been almost twelve hours!" cried Becky. Clearly she failed at keeping her emotions in check.

"We're doing everything we can," repeated the doctor and Charlotte couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips. "So nothing has changed in the last seven hours, basically. Great. Thanks," said Charlotte, sighing, wishing the tears would just fucking stop. She didn't have time to cry. She didn't want to cry. She just wanted answers.

"I'm really sorry. You might….it might be a good idea if…"

The doctor paused, knowing what he was about to say was going to be difficult for them to hear. "Now would be a good time to call her family or friends. Just in case," said the doctor, leaving them with that before walking away.

Neither Charlotte nor Becky said anything for a few moments, both too stunned to think of anything to say. Charlotte was the first one to speak.

"They say that to you when they think she might not make it," she whispered, more tears slipping down her cheeks, but Charlotte didn't care anymore.

"I know," was all Becky said to that.

And after that they just went back to being silent.

_2 Hours Later_

"Sash? You still with me, baby?" whispered Charlotte, gently rubbing Sasha's back. She wasn't really sure what state Sasha was in at the moment. She hadn't so much as stirred in her lap since refusing the eat the yogurt earlier. She hadn't given a reaction at all when the doctor had given them that last update, making Charlotte worry that she hadn't even heard him even though she was sitting with them.

"We need to get her up and moving and eating," said Becky, Charlotte nodding in agreement. It was time for mom mode to come out in full force, whether Sasha wanted it or not.

"Come on, Sash, can you hear me, love?" whispered Charlotte, gently rubbing her friend's back, brushing back her hair.

Sasha moaned, rubbing at her eyes. Charlotte knew she hadn't been sleeping, just zoned out from what she could tell.

"Let's go for a walk, Sash," whispered Charlotte, Sasha shaking her head.

"Come on, baby. 5 minutes. A quick walk to get some food in you," whispered Charlotte, silently asking Becky to help get her up.

Sasha whimpered, tears flooding her eyes as Becky gently eased her from Charlotte's arms, her body practically dead weight at the moment.

Charlotte got up herself, wincing at the immense amount of pain her body was in from being in a sitting position for so long. She stretched for a few moments, just trying to reorient her muscles, yawning, before wrapping her arms around Sasha's waist. "Bathroom, food, and a walk. You gotta do those three things before we come back here," said Charlotte, not giving Sasha much of a chance to argue.

"Char? Is she going to die? Am I going to lose her?"

Charlotte stopped walking, turning her body so she was face to face with Sasha, though her head was currently down. Charlotte gently tucked her fingers under Sasha's chin, lifting her tear filled gaze to meet her own.

"I don't know, babe. I wish I knew. God, how I wish I knew," whispered Charlotte, trying to be strong for Sasha. She wanted to breakdown herself. She wanted to fall onto the ground and sob and scream and yell. And murder the bastard who did this to Bayley to begin with. But she couldn't. She had to be strong for the group. _It's what Bayley would want her to do._

That was the only sentiment keeping her from losing it completely right now.

Sasha squeezed her eyes shut, a fresh batch of tears falling from her brown eyes. "I don't even know how it happened. I was on the other side of the ring. I didn't see it," whispered Sasha, her voice completely hoarse and cracked.

"I know, baby. I know. There was nothing you could do. There was nothing anybody could have done to stop this, my love," whispered Charlotte, pulling Sasha in for a hug.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up in the bathroom, okay?"

Becky had stayed behind in case the doctor came back out with news, and Charlotte had made it her mission to make sure Sasha was cleaned up, fed, and had a chance to move, before going back to that waiting room.

_4 Hours Later:_

16 hours.

They had been waiting in this hospital for approximately sixteen hours now. And they still had very little idea of what the hell was going on with Bayley.

This felt criminal on so many levels to Charlotte, Becky, and Sasha.

Stephanie had joined them about two hours prior, bringing them a fresh change of clothes at Charlotte's request, though Sasha refused to leave the waiting room again.

Charlotte rubbed wearily at her eyes, yawning heavily. She just wanted answers. They all just wanted answers.

"Any word on what happened to the bastard who did this to her?" asked Becky, looking over at Stephanie.

"Yeah. He is being charged with aggravated assault in the third degree," said Stephanie, glancing at the clock. "Hopefully lands his ass in jail for the next twenty years if I have anything to say about it."

"Still won't be long enough," muttered Becky, Stephanie nodding in agreeance.

"Any word on why he did this? A motive? Anything?" asked Charlotte, not sure if she really wanted to know this, but a part of her feeling like she needed to know it.

"Yeah," said Stephanie, shifting uncomfortably in her seat, closing her eyes.

Charlotte and Becky stared, waiting for her response. Stephanie closed her eyes, wiping away a few stray tears before reopening them and gazing back at the girls.

"He um...he has some mental health issues, clearly. He didn't quite grasp that what we do in the ring is just storytelling," said Stephanie, running a hand through her brown hair.

"So, what? He attacked the good guy for goodness sake! What the hell has Bayley ever done in the ring for someone to decide they wanted to fucking end her life!" cried Charlotte, Sasha visibly cringing at the words, and Charlotte immediately regretted them.

"He didn't like her character. According to the police when they interrogated him about his motive, he said "the huggable one just needed to go. She didn't belong in the ring with the big girls. Basically, he believed all those promos that you and Alexa Bliss have cut over the years when you guys have been feuding with her."

Charlotte closed her eyes, feeling like she was going to be sick. Some asshole actually believed the things they said about each other and decided that Bayley needed to die?! Bayley hadn't even feuded with she or Alexa in almost three years! Her latest feud was with the Riott Squad and they didn't even cut promos like that!

"He's going to jail, Char, for as long as we can possibly keep his in there," said Stephanie, Becky shaking her head.

"It still won't be long enough."

_2 hours later_

Doctor no news as Charlotte had so kindly nicknamed him in the eighteen hours since they had arrived at the hospital came back out of those stupid double doors that the girls' were now beginning to despise.

"Anything?" asked Charlotte, trying desperately to wipe the exhaustion out of her eyes, as if that was even a thing.

"She's out of surgery," declared the doctor, Charlotte and Becky feeling a hug wave of relief wash over them, the doctor clearing his throat before continuing.

"But, um, it was an extremely complicated surgery with a lot of complications that popped up along the way," explain the doctor. "She survived the surgery, but she is currently on a ventilator. Several of her major organs were damaged in the process. One of her lungs collapsed during the surgery as well. We were able to repair what we could, but with so many complications and damage….it's hard to say whether or not she'll wake up right now," explained the doctor, taking a deep breath. "I'm so sorry."

"But she's alive? Right now? Right? She...she's alive, right?" whispered Charlotte, thankful that Stephanie was currently sitting a little bit away from them taking care of Sasha at the moment.

"Technically, yes."

"What….she, she doesn't have any brain damage though, right?" asked Becky, utterly confused by everything and maybe it was the fact that she hadn't slept in over 24 hours at this point.

"No. There is no damage to the brain….yet. With the ventilator though, she's not breathing on her own. And the longer that she stays in this comatose state...we just don't know if she'll wake up or not. It's up to her at this point."

"Can we see her? Please?" whispered Becky, the doctor nodding. "Yes, of course. I can take you to her right away."

"Thanks," whispered Charlotte, turning away to fill Stephanie and Sasha in on what was going on.

Sasha, Charlotte, and Becky prepared themselves for the worst when they entered the hospital room. There were tubes and machines coming out of Bayley everywhere. She looked so….small….lying in the hospital bed.

As soon as the door shut, Sasha walked over to her best friend, taking her hand in her own, holding it to her heart. Tears ran unchecked down her cheeks, her sobs catching in her throat.

"I'm here, Bayley," whispered Sasha, both Charlotte and Becky giving her a moment by herself.

"I'm right here, sister. I'm here. It's okay. Charlotte and Becca and I….we're here. You're not alone, okay? Never alone, Bay…."

Charlotte and Becky stepped up after a few more moments, the trio surrounding the bed where their best friend lay in a comatose state, only breathing through a ventilator.

All three of them stood there, whispering words of comfort to Bayley, not sure if she could hear them or not, but not caring in the least. They just wanted her to feel their presence, to know she wasn't fighting alone, and to give her a reason to keep fighting and to come back to them.

Stephanie came in after awhile of giving the girls time alone with Bayley, saying a few words to her as well.

Hours more passed as the girls continued to hang onto hope that their friend would wake up. She had to wake up.

"We should go home. Get some rest," whispered Charlotte, wiping at the tears that had pretty much been going since she walked into the room. It was the same for all of them. It had been twenty fours now since she'd been admitted into the hospital. It was currently two in the morning. Charlotte could see the sheer exhaustion on the face of her friends. She didn't have to see it. She was feeling it as well.

"I wanna stay here with her. I don't want to leave her alone," whispered Sasha, sitting in a chair that she had pulled up to the bed.

"Sash, we have to go home, baby. We'll come back later. But we need to sleep love. It's not gonna do her or us any good if we pass out from exhaustion," whispered Charlotte, kneeling down next to Sasha. Sasha continued to shake her head.

"No. I can't. I can't leave here, Char….I just can't. I don't want her to be alone. She needs to know were here. She needs to know….what if she wakes up?"

Becky took the other side of Sasha, brushing the stray strands of hair out of her friend's sunken in brown eyes.

"Then the doctor will call Charlotte and we'll come right back, baby girl. Our hotel is only five minutes down the road. We'll come back. But we need to take care of ourselves too, baby. We can't be any good to her if we don't," whispered Becky, Sasha clutching onto Bayley's hand, placing a kiss to her friend's forehead.

"I'm right here, Bayley, okay? I'm right here, sister. Just keep fighting, okay? Remember, it's worth fighting for, right? You're life is worth fighting for, Bayley. Please don't give up. Please, I need you here, okay? I need you here."

Sasha's voice cracked, the youngest of the four girls burying her head on the edge of Bayley's bed as she began sobbing, still clutching her friend's hand in her own.

Charlotte and Becky had started to cry again too. They each placed a kiss to Bayley's forehead, telling her how much they loved her and couldn't wait to see her again, before turning their attention back to Sasha. It took both of them to get her to her feet, Charlotte cradling her against her chest as she continued to cry, her entire body shaking from the sheer exhaustion and emotion.

"Come on love, let's get you back to the hotel room, okay," whispered Charlotte, placing a kiss to Sasha's hair.

"I….she was rooming with me. I….I can't go back to that room….I can't….not without her," cried Sasha, sobbing. Charlotte nodded, gently walking her out of the hospital room.

"Okay. You don't have to. You can come back to mine and Becca's room, okay?"

And as painful as it was for them to do so, they finally left the hospital, a gaping hole missing from their group as they did so.

* * *

**3 months later **

Sasha was a wreck.

Hell, they all were.

Liv Morgan had stopped by, as had Stephanie, offering her help in any way she could. But there was no amount of help in the world that could help Sasha, Becky, or Charlotte, at the given moment.

There was nothing, absolutely nothing, that would help ease the amount of pain felt in their hearts as they prepared to say goodbye to the girl who was basically their sister.

It had been three months since that night that none of them were ever truly able to get out of their heads. Bayley had survived that awful surgery, but had never woken up from her coma.

After three months of daily hospital visits, of praying for her to wake up, just waiting and waiting and waiting, they were finally forced to make the decision none of them should have ever in their lifetime had to make.

And Sasha had been the one who had to do it.

Bayley had made her the person to make that decision in her will years ago. She had also written in her will that she never wanted to live on a machine, and so if that ever happened, and there was no sign of life after three months, that she wanted the plug to be pulled.

And it had killed Sasha to do it. She hadn't wanted to. But it was right there in her will and there was nothing she could do about it. She had to do what Bayley wanted in this situation.

And so the week prior, they had all gathered; everybody. The girls, the entire locker room, all of her friends and the family she had chosen a long time ago, and they all said their goodbyes before pulling her off the vent.

She was officially declared dead just moments later.

And now they were all getting ready to go to her funeral.

Charlotte looked over at Sasha, who was currently curled up in one of the bigger chairs in the room, her entire body curled up onto the cushion of it, her eyes glued to her phone, some song emanating quietly from the speakers.

"Sash?"

Sasha looked up at the sound of Charlotte's voice, shrugging before turning back to her video. Charlotte walked over to her, kneeling down, her knuckles running gently over her friend's cheeks.

She was far too pale, and thin. Of all three of them, it was obvious to anybody who was looking which of the three girls took Bayley's death the hardest. Sasha had hardly left Bayley's side during the last three months. She had lost so much weight, too much for Charlotte and Becky's comfort. Her eyes were hollowed out and the bags that fell under them from a lack of sleep and a steady flow of tears were a daily reminder of the pain she was in.

"What are you looking at baby?"

"A music video that some fan made of Bayley and I….our…..our friendship," she whispered, her voice beginning to crack as she met Charlotte's concerned gaze.

"I don't know if I can do this," she whispered, her voice beginning to crack, and Charlotte simply nodded, pulling her into her arms.

"I know, baby. I know. I'm gonna be here though. And Becca. And everybody else. We're all gonna be there...together, okay? You're not alone, my love," whispered Charlotte, Sasha choking as her sobs intensified.

Charlotte could feel the tears slipping from her own eyes as she held Sasha, her heart just continuously breaking as she thought about the pain that this entire day was about to bestow on all of them.

Sasha stood at the open casket by herself, her hand reaching in as she stared through her tears at the woman who had once been her best friend, who would still always be her sister, her better half, her everything.

"Oh, Bayley…." whispered Sasha, closing her eyes as she touched her cold, lifeless hand.

"You...you were everything, Bayley. I...I wouldn't be who I am without you. You….you taught me how to trust again. You taught me the true power of having a teammate by your side. Every second, every moment, every day that was spent on this earth with you, Bay...I'll never let go of them, okay? I'm never going to let go of you, okay? I...I know you couldn't keep fighting, baby. I know. That's okay. You go. I'll stay. I'll keep fighting for the both of us, all right. For you and for me. Because you, Bayley, will always be worth fighting for, okay? And you...you will always be my sister, no matter what, okay? I'll stay...and I'll keep doing all the the things we wanted to do together. And I'm just….I'm sorry, Bay. I'm sorry. So, so, so damn sorry. I should have been there, that night. I should have been watching you better. I should have….."

Sasha stared at the item she had brought with her today; the tag team championship, picking it up and carefully placing it in the coffin beside her friend. "First ever is forever. You will always be my tag team partner. Sister's forever, Bay."

Sasha took a deep breath, closing her eyes and counting to ten before continuing. "I'm sorry, my love. I always will be. You deserved better. You deserved more. You deserved to have the whole damn world and to live this long, amazing, wonderful life, because you were the strongest, most amazing, talented, compassionate, and kind person I've ever met in my life and you….you deserved so much more than what you got in the end…..and I just…..I love you, Bayley, okay? I love you sister. Always and Forever."

And Sasha placed a kiss one last time on her friend's forehead, letting the tears fall and the sorrow seap from her body as she walked away from Bayley for the last time.


End file.
